More than its tourist spots, Antique is more known for its legendary folklore of aswang and mananangal. Those mythical legends probably have kept tourists from pouring in to the province, making Antique one of the most unexplored places in the Philippines. But during my brief visit to this off-beat province, I found places, culture and eco activities that are at par with any famous tourist spots in the country. Allow me to welcome you and peel the mystery behind the province of Antique.

► HOW TO GET TO ANTIQUE

Antique is located in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, sandwiched between the provinces of Aklan and Iloilo. Currently, there are no direct flights to the province but there are two ways to get to Antique from Manila.

► SPEAK ANTIQUE

Kinaray-a is the local dialect in Antique, one of the thirteen most spoken dialect in the country. Cuyanon, Caluyanon, Hilagaynon, Ati and Cebuano are also spoken. Most locals, however, know how to speak Filipino and English.

► ANTIQUE TOURS

While tourism is fairly new in Antique and most tourists and travellers visit the province using the DIY or do-it-yourself method, there are a few packaged tour outfits that make it easier and more convenient in exploring the area.

► WHERE TO STAY IN ANTIQUE

There are only a handful of places to stay in at Antique. I haven’t seen any big hotels in the province although there are inns, hostels and resorts in the area. The most common mode of accommodation are homestays. Overnight rates are quite cheap, starting at roughly Php500.00 good for two persons, but at that price, don’t expect an air-conditioned room.

► WHERE TO EAT IN ANTIQUE

If fancy restaurants and cuisine are what you’re looking for, then this province might not be for you. Places to eat in Antique consist mostly of eateries and carinderia. There are a few restaurants in the area but they’re mostly inside resorts. For street food, besides the usual pork barbecue and isaw stalls that pop up in the afternoon, there’s not much chow in that department.

► WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN ANTIQUE

For a sleepy province, there are surprisingly a lot of things to do in Antique; the place is more of an eco-adventure and cultural place than for sight-seeing. One can visit historic places, island beaches and resorts, but Antique’s real draw is its rafting, hiking, island hopping, diving and local industry immersion.

► WHAT TO BUY IN ANTIQUE

I didn’t see a single souvenir shop during my visit to Antique; so if you’re into ref magnets and key chains, cross that off your list of things to bring back home. You can however buy more legit pasalubong in the form of buri and textile products.

► ANTIQUE SAMPLE ITINERARY

The province of Antique consists of eighteen towns. It is a big province and in all probability, a lot of places are still unexplored in terms of tourism. I’m basing this three-day itinerary on the tour I made of Antique via Katahum Tours (Iloilo entry). We used a van to navigate the province. If you have an additional day, I suggest that you visit Seco Island, do the Bugang River Tour, and visit the Antique Rice Terraces.

Hi, Von.From your sample itinerary, please transfer the Malalison Island visit to 2nd day, most of the places included were from the southern part of the province and Culasi where the island is part of, is a good 3-4 hours' drive from San Jose, capital municipality.

Hi silent_zhax, as posted above, accommodations at Zipline Inn starts at Php500.00, last I checked. Regarding your other question, I haven't personally tried going to Antique via Kalibo, but I tried going from Antique to Kalibo, from my experience on that end, it's not that hard a commute.

Caticlan ato Malumpati, you can ride the bus with Iloilo signboard. more than an hour trip ciguro. most of the popular attractions in Antique is northern part so travelling from Kalibo or Caticlan is the most practical instead of from Iloilo which is souther part. by the way there are also UV express vans.

There are several buses going from Caticlan to Culasi in the morning, but in the evening, I'm just not sure. Better ask at the Ceres bus terminal, which is just right across the jetty to Boracay for the exact schedule before going to Boracay Island.